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Friday, June 28, 2013

Anthony Weiner Now Moves Ahead of Christine Quinn in NYC

Given our penchant for comebacks, it’s really not that unbelievable when you think about it.

Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner is now ahead of New York City Council President Christine Quinn in the polls for Mayor of New York.

Weiner, who resigned from Congress after a sexting scandal less than two years ago, leads Quinn 25 to 20 percent. In a potential runoff election, Quinn beats Weiner 44 to 42 percent. Weiner has gained nine points since last month’s poll done by Marist College.

While Weiner has reason to be encouraged, Quinn, who was widely seen as the frontrunner just weeks ago, seems to be losing steam. Her lead over other challengers in the Marist Poll seems to be slipping as well.

It’s hard to explain the turnaround. Quinn seems like a tremendous candidate. Perhaps New Yorkers are associating her with increasingly unpopular Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his war on seemingly silly things like big sodas. Bloomberg’s approval rating hovers just under 50 percent.

It appears that New York voters are buying what Weiner is selling. As the NBC New York piece points out, he’s not ducking the scandal that cost him his job in Congress, but he’s using it as part of his strategy. Whatever the case, it’s working.

Quinn’s camp says they expect the polls to fluctuate, but this has to be a grave concern for her. Weiner’s campaign is no longer something more fit for a punch line. He’s strongly in this race.

The interesting thing will be to see how Quinn responds from here and if any of the other candidates get even more energized or if Weiner continues to consolidate support.